Panel-board switch.



. J. A. OBERMILLER & P. EIGKENBERG.

PANEL BOARD SWITCH. APPLICATION PILED JULY 29, 1912.

Patented Dec. 30,

JAMES A. OBERKILLER ANZ D PHILIP. EIGKENBERG, OF CHICAGQ, ILLINOIS.

PANEL-BOARD SWITCH. Y

specification of Letters Patent. Pat e ite d D e'c 30, 1913.

Application fl1edJ i11y'29, 1912. Serial No. 712,187.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES A. OBER- MILLER and PHILIP EioKEnBERG, citizens of the United States, residingat Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Panel-Board Switches, of

whieh the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in panel-board switches and has for its gen eral object to improve the structure of such devices so that they may quickly applied to the loranch bars of a panel-board for supportfupon the board, that they may be of simple construction in their supporting'and appurtenant parts, and that they may be well protected by cover members applicable thereto inadvantageous fashion.

' Other objects of our invention will become apparent to .those skilled in the art from a consideration of the following drawing, Wherein Figure 1 is a. plan of a device constructed in accordance with our invention, with the cover in section; Fig. 2'is a sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 3; Fig. 3 IS a sectional v ew on line 3-3 of Fig-1, SlIOWI'Hg the cover in section and the switch device in elevation; and Fig. 4: is an enlarged detail of the connection between a supporting contact-member of the switch device and a branch barof the panel-board.

In thedrawings, 5 indicates a panel-board of insulating material upon which are mounted the usual branch bars arranged in pairs, each bar being broken so that there is formed by each pair of bars so broken, four confronting ends 6-7 and 67'. It will be noted from the description hereafter given that our device is constructed with this particular environment in mind to make it better adaptable'tosuch use.

45. known in the art we will refer only to such The switch device shown is, of course, of the double-pole type, and since the details of these structures are common and well parts thereof as enter into the-embodiment of our invention.

I 8 indicates an insulating block upon which are supported'a stationary contact, a movable' co ntact,a means for operating said movable contact, anda cover for overlying iall ofisaid parts. i

'19 indicates in general a' contact-oper'ating means for" opcratin the. movable contacts 1Q lO,tl is structure including a metallic that the switch. device may"- supporting frame-1 1, and-theusual pushbuttons 12. As a convenient means of-se curing the frame 11 to the insulating block we a provide ainetallic plate 13 in a suitable recess in the upper surfaceof'the block, and connect thisplatewith theframei 11 by means of screws-14C, so. that upontightening of the screws the frame 11 of thevcontact- I operating parts and the plate 131 are firmly supported upon the insulatingblock. As

will hereafter appear, our invention contemplates the utilization of the plate-13 for purposes in addition to that (if-supporting the frame l l upon the block. n l

Extending from opposite sidesofv the insulating block Swe provide metallic legs 15.l5 and 1616, each bent-downwardly from its point of connection with the block as at 1:7 to provide a longstraight portion 18, and at 19 bent at right angles to form a flat portior 20 paralleling the block 8, said portion 2( having a lug 21 perforated for purposes to be described, and extending laterally beyond-the.bloclrS. l

Secured uponheach of the metallic legmemhers. is provided an inwardly extending contact member 22, constitilting the stationary contact witlrwhich the corresponding movable contact 10 is adapted to coact. Itwill thus be'sccn thatthe lugs 21 constitute the terminals of the switch device, having connection with-the stationary contact of said switch device through the legs 15' and 16, such legs, as will hereafter more clearly appear, constituting the meanshy which the device is supported upon the branch bars of the panel-boardi-fu; a,

Near each end of'the metallic plate 13, we provide screw -threadcd. perforations 23. overlying the insulating block 8 and extending down over the contact-operating parts and supportinglegs we arrange a suitably constructed cover member 24, the edge" of said cover member adapted for coaction with the panel-board 5, and the'top of the cover member being suitably perforated as at 25, loosely to receive the ,push'buttons 12. The top of the cover is alsoprovided' with perforations registeringwith the perforations 23 in the platc 13 to receive screws 26,- said screws engaginginthe perforations 23 in Pla e .13."

. Wi e have stated thats'thelugs-21' of-the legv members were perforated and extend laterally beyond the-insulating block 8, so pported by means of said leg members upon the bl'anchbars of the panel-board. To receive the leg members, the branch bars are bent upwardly as at 27, and each upwardly bent end is provided with a screw-threaded perforation for a screw 28. In attaching the device to a panel-board having its branch bars so arranged, it will be apparent that the lugs 21 extend laterally beyond the block and the block-carried parts, so that access may readily be had to the screws 28, and that when said screws are tightened the device is firmly secured at four points, When the insulating block and block-carried parts have been thus secured by means of the leg members described, the cover mem ber may be placed over the block with its perforations 25 receiving the push-buttons when the screws 26 may be placed in the registering perforations in the cover and. in the plate 13, and when said screws are tightened, the edge of the cover will be pressed into dust-proof contact with the panelboard 5, the cover being, of course, suitably shaped to accommodate passage thereunder of the branch bars 6 and 7, as at 29.

Ofcourse, the advantages to be gained by the use of a push-switch constructed in accordance with our invention will readily appear to those skilled in the art, but among them we may mention that the device may be applied to the panel-board without alteration thereof: except that the branch bars be severed as described and that in this way, although the panel-board is lett intact', the cover is so arranged that it niakes dustproot lit with the panel board. Further, the advantages of providing leg members which carry the stationary contacts as de scribed will readily appear. These and other advantages attained by the specific cmbodiment herein shown, are also attainable by other embodiments of our teachings, and we do not therefore limit our invention to the particular embodiment shown further than specified in the appended claims.

\Vhat. we claim is 1. In a device of the character described.

the combination 0'? a panel-board having branch-bars terminating in an aaeav for supporting-attachment to the legs oil a switch device. the panel-board being imperforate at said area, and a switch device compris ing an insulating blocl'. metallic leg members mounted on said block, means on said block electrically to connect or disconnect I said legs, and means of connection between said legs and the branch-bars of the panelboard for support. of said device by said branch-bars through theagency of said elect rically-connectible legs, wherebv the paneli o ard may be left intact.

I 2. In a device f the character descri d, for use with the branch-bars of a solid imperforate panel-board, the combination of a cover member adapted to overlie a contactoperating means; mechanism witlnn said cover, connected to the cover and in-' cluding contact-operating means operable from without the cover, metallic supporting lower ends formed for coaction with an at-,

taching means; and means for attaching said legs to the branch-bars of the panel-board; said cover having its free edges formed for coaction over the branch-bars and into contact with the upper surface of said imperforate panel-board.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with the branch-bars of a panel-board, of an insulating block, contactoperating means mounted thereon, metallic leg members. adapted tobe electrically connected or disconnected by said contact-open ating means, said legs extending from the block around the contact-operating means, and means to connect said legs to the branchbars of the panel-board, said legs and branch-bars being suitably bent to receive said connecting means independently of the panel-board.

4-. In a device of the character described, the combination 'of an insulating block, metallic legs extending from opposite edges of said block and bent downwardly in substantial parallelism and thence bent inwardly at right angles to inclose a contactoperating means, each said leg member havingmounted thereon an electric contact, contact-operating means mounted upon said block for electrically connecting and disconnecting the leg-carried contacts, and means .t'or supporting said block and block-carried parts by said legs.

5 In a switch device of the character described, the combination with the branchbars of a parrot-board, each of said branchbars having screw-receiving perforations and screw-clearances thereunder, of a switch device proviiiled with downwardly bent metallic legs, each leg being bent inwardlyv at its extremity and having a screw-receiving perforation registering with the screwrcceiving perforation in the respective branch-bars, and a screw for each said leg taking through said registering perfora tions, whereby said switch device is supported upon the panehboard by engagement between the legs thereof and said branchbars, described.

6. A. device of the character described, comprising, in combination'with the branchbars of a panel-board, each of Said branchbars having screw-receiving perforations and screw-clearances thereunder, a switch device provided with downwardly bent legs, each legbeing bent inwardly at its extremity and having, ascrew -receiving perforation in a lug provided by said inwardly bent portion of the leg, said perforated lug extending laterally beyond the switch device, and

screws taking through said inwardly bent portions of the legs and engaging in said screw perforations in the branch-bars of a panel-board. I

panel-board, an insulatin block secured to the upper ends of said our leg members, 15 and means carried by said insulating block electrically to connect and disconnect said legs in pairs for electrical connection of the corresponding pairs of branch-burs.

In testimony whereof we hereunto set our 20 hands.

JAMES A. OBERMILLER. PHILIP EIOKENBERG. In thepresence of MARY F. ALLEN, W. LINN ALLEN.

00910! of this patent my be obtained for in out: each, by addressing the Gommlulonemo! htenh. Wuhlngtomll. 0." 

